News

Amazfit T-Rex Pro launches in the Philippines

Military-grade smartwatch with 18 days of battery life

Published

August 31, 2021

Vincenz

Are you looking for a smartwatch that’s durable enough for the type of activities you do? Wait no further as Amazfit T-Rex Pro is coming to the Philippines.

Designed for Outdoors

The T-Rex Pro is a smartwatch that’s built to last even in the harshest climate conditions — humid rainforests, super-dry deserts, you name ’em. Not only it is shock-resistant, it’s also water-resistant with a grade of 10 ATM. To make it better, the smartwatch can last up to 18 days in a single charge.

It has a 1.3-inch AMOLED display that’s clear and colorful enough when exposed to the bright sunlight. Its design should be attractive enough for any sports enthusiast especially with its metal-sprayed outer bezel and silicone strap that repels sweat as well.

Just in case you get lost in the wilderness, it supports four global navigation satellite systems as well as a compass to help you track location even in challenging environments. There’s also a barometric altimeter that records one’s elevation after a climb.

It even has a weather tracker that can monitor sunrise and sunsets as well as display the current moon phase.

Your Personal Trainer

The Amazfit T-Rex Pro has 100 different sports mode for you to choose. It can track your heart rate, distance, speed, burned calories, and even your blood-oxygen saturation so you won’t miss a chance of getting fitter every single day.

There’s also an Amazfit-exclusive feature called Firstbeat algorithm that assesses data such as your maximum oxygen update, full recovery time, training load, among other progresses and accomplishments. In addition to that, there’s ExerSense algorithm which automatically recognizes eight sports modes and records all related data.

Moreover, the Amazfit T-Rex Pro is also equipped with BioTracker 2 PPG — an optical sensor. Not only it records precise heart rate monitor, it also alerts you if your heart rate gets too high. It’s also responsible for tracking HRV (heart rate variability) so that it can record your response to stress.

There are more health-related features that await you such as PAI (Personal Activitiy Intelligence) health assessment system. There’s SomnusCare sleep-quality monitoring feature as well for recognizing one’s sleep states and breathing problems when asleep.

Pricing and Availability

The Amazfit T-Rex Pro comes in three color options including Meteorite Black, Desert Grey, and Steel Blue.

It will be available for pre-order starting on September 1, 2021 with a retail price of PhP 8,090 through its official Shopee and Lazada stores. Units will rollout two days after the pre-order date. The first 100 buyers will receive a Yi 1080p Dome Camera.

News

Xiaomi is making it easier for customers in the PH to shop

Xiaomi launches Mi.com online store

Published

May 16, 2026

GadgetMatch

Xiaomi has officially launched its Mi.com online store in the Philippines. This standalone website offers a more direct and centralized shopping experience, as Xiaomi has shifted away from third-party marketplaces.

The dedicated platform serves as a one-stop destination for the entire Xiaomi ecosystem. This includes the brand’s smartphones, smart home devices, and even the POCO lineup.

For instance, there’s the REDMI Note 15 Pro 5G, Xiaomi Smart Band 10, and Xiaomi Sound Party, among others.

The move marks a significant transition for Xiaomi’s consumers in the market. The brand mentioned wanting to deliver a smarter, more rewarding digital shopping experience tailored for Filipino consumers.

Moreover, customers do not have to worry about the presence of discount vouchers or a reward system, as the Mi.com website has these integrated. That way, customers will still find a great value for direct purchases.

Here’s a quick rundown of Xiaomi’s exclusive offers to celebrate the announcement of a standalone site:

Launch-Exclusive Vouchers: 10% off coupons on selected inventory, tiered discounts based on total purchase value
Daily Flash Sales: Two high-traffic windows are scheduled daily from 10:00 AM to 12:00 NN and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Enhanced Loyalty Rewards: new Xiaomi Account sign-ups receive 50 Mi Points (1 Mi Point = PhP 1); during launch window, all purchases earn double points, which can be redeemed for future cashbacks

Apps

Netflix expands its cheaper ad-supported tier to Southeast Asia

This also includes more countries in Europe and South America.

Published

May 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

If you don’t care about seeing a deluge of ads on your platforms, you’re an incredibly rare breed these days. That same skill will come in handy for those nicely priced subscription tiers that comes with ads. Netflix, for one, has one of those tiers, and it’s now coming out in more countries.

As is prevalent in other platforms today, an ad-supported subscription tier lowers the price you have to pay every month. The catch, however, is that there will be an occasional sprinkling of ads here and there.

Netflix offers this service, which allows subscribers to get the service for cheap at the expense of their time. Currently, it is limited to only a few major markets in the world. However, the platform is expanding the tier’s reach to more countries in Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia.

Starting in 2027, Netflix’s ad-supported tier will expand to 15 countries: Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Thailand.

Netflix says that the ad-supported tier is a popular option for subscribers. Currently, the tier has around 250 million subscribers worldwide. Since some of the new countries have a more budget-conscious attitude when it comes to purchasing services, this number will likely go up after the expansion in 2027.

Apps

Google might limit free storage to only 5GB

The change will affect new users.

Published

May 15, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Google One is a monthly subscription that gives you at least 200GB of cloud storage for your files and photos. For most people, a Google One subscription starts when Google inevitably tells them that their free storage space is running out and will soon stop backing up files. Starting today, new users might get that warning sooner rather than later as Google tests a lower limit to free storage.

Historically, Google offers users 15GB of free storage as a start. However, especially these days, 15GB can run out rapidly, prompting a Google One upgrade. Still, despite how “little” it is, Google’s free storage is generous compared to its contemporaries.

Now, Google is reportedly going to be more at par with the rest. As spotted on Reddit (via 9to5Google), new users will receive only 5GB of free storage. Based on Wayback Machine, the company changed its policy sometime between February to March.

Notably, 15GB is still available as an option, but users have to link their phone numbers to their accounts first.

According to Google, the policy change is meant to encourage users to upgrade their security. However, critics will point out that it just enables the company to collect more data about their users. Of note, the platform is already pushy about linking phone numbers before the change, but this adds another layer to entice people.

Also, Google confirms that the new policy is only a regional test for now. They have not announced when (or if) the change comes out for real.